Monday, May 1st, 2017
23:45 GMT+7 (16:45 GMT May 1st)
Aboard the LCM-8
11°11.75'N, 102°58.34'E
Gulf of Thailand
The thud-thud-thud of the diesel engines was loud and, initially, the incessant sound was very annoying.
However, after almost two hours of relentless pounding, those diesel engines had thrust the small craft closer and closer to the Cambodian coast. They were about forty minutes from Point Alpha which was where they would leave the Gulf of Thailand and the exposed ocean, passing behind Kaoh Kong Island which would block the westerly winds from providing their cooling breeze. As they moved further up Kaoh Kong Bay, the humidity would just get worse and worse as they approached the Prek Khlang Yai Estuary and the Prek Khlang Yai River beyond.
For the most part, the three girls had collapsed onto their camp beds and allowed the rocking motion of the ocean to rock them to sleep. For Mindy and Chloe, the sleep was fitful. Jennifer appeared to be able to sleep anywhere and under any circumstances, much to Mindy's annoyance. As for the boys, they stood watch in the wheelhouse where they spent most of the time with night-vision binoculars, scanning the horizon for anything approaching them. The horizon was clear of anything and it would be a little longer before the coastline would be visible. Dave and Joshua were more used to operating off coastlines which were well-lit with towns and cities in view, not to mention navigation beacons. There were limited navigation beacons in that part of the world, and they were mainly concentrated around the major ports, and were not provided for the many minor rivers scattered around the coastline. That was not a big problem as they carried a pair of advanced GPS units which kept them on track to within four feet of their required position. The digital chart, on the screen before them, showed their course and how much further they had to go – it was daunting to see that they had many more hours ahead of them, and they also had the dangerous parts of the trip to get past, hopefully unscathed.
Joshua and Dave talked, but neither felt like getting into anything and talk was mainly down to operational things, such as their course, engine temperatures, and fuel levels – it all helped to relieve the building tension by refocussing the mind.
Tuesday, May 2nd
00:40 GMT+7 (17:40 GMT May 1st)
Aboard the LCM-8
11° 15.69'N, 103° 2.98'E
Southeast of Kaoh Kong Island
The progress was slow but steady; they had dutifully put Point Alpha behind them, and they were heading on a northerly course towards Point Bravo, about eighty minutes away.
At that point, they would be standing into danger, and they would need their wits about them. For about the tenth time that night, Joshua had checked the various weapons arrayed around the LCM. He was nervous, and he was concerned for his female compatriots. He knew that they could all look after themselves, but he always saw the women as the weaker sex and in need of protection provided by their men. Mindy and Chloe would think otherwise with Mindy having some rather choice words to describe her thoughts on the subject, but they would also enjoy the fact that their menfolk loved them enough to want to protect them in any way that they could. Joshua was not sexist in any way, but the world had an order which he saw as inviolable. That order dictated that men looked after their women and protected them from harm. Every hour, he checked on the sleeping women and he ensured that they remained safe as they slept.
Dave studied the shore of Kaoh Kong Island which was a mere two kilometres off the port beam. There were a few groupings of lights from the tourist facilities which were based along the eastern shore of the island. Dave turned to look out to starboard. According to the chart, their destination was a mere twelve kilometres away, only, they were going the long way around to mount a surprise attack as the 'front door' was way too heavily defended. Unfortunately, there were also hills to climb and a lot of jungle to cover during the day when it would be hotter than hell. To be honest, Dave was not looking forward to that part as it would be worse than exhausting and they would spend many hours laying up to rest as the going would be tough and their fitness would be put to the test.
Secretly, Dave and Joshua hoped to walk the girls into the ground.
Tuesday, May 2nd
02:10 GMT+7 (19:10 GMT May 1st)
Aboard the LCM-8
11° 24.86'N, 103° 1.99'E
Prek Khlang Yai Estuary
The estuary was wide, about four and a half kilometres at its widest point.
The biggest problem was that the estuary suffered from a lot of silt build up which meant that the chart had to be followed carefully, not least because the charts were as accurate as possible, but the river had not been surveyed in years, and the silt was constantly shifting throughout each year. Normally, a river pilot would be employed, but that was far too much exposure, and also the main reason behind using a flat-bottomed craft which was designed to go aground without damage. Their speed of advance was cut as it was very dark and the very last thing they wanted, was to end up fast aground until daylight came, thus exposing them to unmentionable dangers. Constantly, Dave and Joshua monitored their course, including their echo sounders which were mounted bow and stern to watch for a silt bed rising before them. Both were feeling a little tired as they had been concentrating for two hours without a break. Dave had the wheel while Joshua kept watch, all around them.
Danger could come out of the darkness from any direction and they had to be ready.
..._...
As Joshua swept the stern, he felt a pang of longing for the open ocean.
The open ocean represented safety – room to manoeuvre and put distance between them and any potential foes. Also, their mothership was out there somewhere in the darkness beyond Kaoh Kong Island. As Joshua brought his night-vision glasses down the port side, he felt closed in; the shoreline was so close, and that closeness felt constricting along with the many other hazards to navigation in the form of the silt beds to starboard and various small mangrove forest-covered islands which rose from amongst the silt beds. Joshua brought his glasses across the port bow and over the ramp at the front of the vessel, then he froze; there was something ahead of them, but it was difficult to see what. Joshua strained at the night-vision glasses, trying to make something of the green-tinted image depicting the view ahead of them. Then his eyes went wide, and he lowered the glasses. He checked his watch – they had cleared Point Alpha just twenty-three minutes previously and Point Bravo only three minutes past.
"Tally-ho!" Joshua said simply as he ducked into the wheelhouse.
Dave reached for his assault rifle.
..._...
It was dark, but not totally dark due to the time of year and the climate.
However, it was hot. It was hotter than hell . . . and as for the humidity – that was at like a million per cent, or so Mindy had decided. The soothing ocean breeze when she had first dozed off was long gone and she was struggling to stay asleep, but then she heard movement, close by, and she felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her.
"We be having company," Joshua hissed into her ear and Mindy was instantly fully awake.
Joshua shook awake Jennifer and Chloe who both sprang to life, reaching for their custom Oneida bows. The three girls took up positions covering the bow and the port and starboard beams while Joshua headed aft, his own bow ready for action. No overt action was made, luring the boarders into a sense of false security as they expertly clambered over the port bow with more boarders coming alongside in a skiff beside the aft boarding ladder.
"Good morning!" Joshua hissed at the man who was clambering up the ladder.
The man looked up at the sound only to find himself at the wrong end of a very sharp arrowhead. Before the man could yell out a warning, he fell overboard, his brain pierced by Joshua's arrow. Joshua promptly dropped the next man causing the skiff to veer away.
Dave increased speed, causing those men on the bow to stumble.
..._...
They may have stumbled, but not for long, as three went down hard with arrows in their chests.
Two more appeared over the gunwale and Mindy promptly struck one across the face with her bow, sending the man flying into the water ahead of the skiff which had brought him alongside. Unfortunately, the driver of the boat never saw the man and the outboard motor sliced and diced as the skiff passed over the man, slashing his major arteries. The pirates had quickly grasped the situation and they attacked as one, nine boarding all at once, three to port, three to starboard, and three at the stern. Dave swerved the large craft, catching one of the skiffs and driving it under the landing craft, the driver jumped overboard, taking his chances in the water. The abandoned skiff bumped along underneath the craft, passing under the protected propellers of the landing craft before scattering in pieces astern of them.
Mindy, Chloe, and Jennifer fought hard. For Jennifer, it was a first; she had never been in a position where she had had to repel boarders. Not that she was incapable of making the pirates regret their actions. Jennifer may have looked like a pushover, but she was well trained in self-defence, and she could dish out most of what she received. The first pirate to reach for her found himself slammed to the deck and punched in the chest before being kicked across the face, knocking him out. Chloe noticed Jennifer going to town and the girl grinned as she too dished out her own brand of pain. Mindy was angry; she had been enjoying her sleep, and she was angry at having that sleep disturbed. The first man found himself flipped over and his head slammed into the deck, knocking him out. The next man hesitated, but that only gave Mindy an edge as she expertly drew a throwing blade and sent it through the air to bury itself deep into the man's throat.
At the stern, Joshua was in his element as he defended the wheelhouse from attack. One man got past him as he almost ripped the head off another, only for Dave to slam the wheelhouse door into the man's face, sending him flying over the side. The swimming man was quickly joined by a man who had a broken neck. The final boarder - he saw Joshua advancing on him – thought better of his situation, diving over the side.
"That was fun – anyone for a mug of tea?" Joshua asked once the last body had been jettisoned over the side.
..._...
Sleep was out, she decided, so Mindy stood in the bow, directly behind the ramp.
She sipped at her mug of tea as she stared out over the dark river, her mind deep in thought. The mission still troubled the veteran vigilante and she was very worried about what they might find waiting for them, deep in the jungle hell ahead. Back in Chicago, she had asked the obvious question: 'What about Vengeance?' and she had not liked the response the naval officer had provided: 'Apparently, the powers that be have other plans for the British arm of Fusion. In fact, they have been forbidden from taking part – a direct order, if you will.' There was something going on and she was determined to find out what it was and why she, and her people, were smack in the middle of it – again!
They cruised steadily past a tributary off to port where the small floating village of Kaoh Sralau was just visible as a few sparkling lights in the darkness. It was a pleasant evening, Mindy decided. Then she smiled as a very familiar set of arms wrapped themselves around her torso.
"You okay, grumpy?" Dave whispered.
"I'm not grumpy," Mindy responded grumpily.
"Course not."
"I just hope that we survive this."
"Stop that!" Dave ordered. "As long as we stay together, all will be well."
Mindy leaned into Dave, enjoying his touch.
Tuesday, May 2nd
03:43 GMT+7 (20:43 GMT May 1st)
Aboard the LCM-8
11° 26.76'N, 103° 8.91'E
Prek Khlang Yai – Point Charlie
The sixteen-kilometre ride to Point Charlie had been relatively uneventful – apart from the pirates of course.
Chloe had the helm while Mindy and Jennifer kept watch. The boys had retired a little before three that morning and they were happily snoring on the camp beds.
"We still on schedule?" Jennifer asked Chloe.
"Looks like it – those dicks didn't fuck us up too much," Chloe replied. "Regretting coming along, Jen?"
"Maybe, but I like adventure. You guys are veterans at all this and it's good to be with you guys, so I know that I'm gonna be safe."
"I suppose I have been doing this a while," Chloe admitted. "This is just a normal day for me, I suppose. I've been through so many experiences that anything just appears normal, no matter how extreme."
"Remind me, Chloe, how old are you?"
"Sixteen years and eight months."
"How old were you when you first met Dave and Mindy?"
"Thirteen."
"Been a fun ride, has it?"
"It's had its moments, I will admit."
"If you could go back and redo anything?"
"I would never change this life – it's been amazing, and I have learnt so much. If I could go back and redo something, I would want to not be such a bloody bitch who thought she knew everything. That behaviour almost cost me my arm and more than once, my life."
"One of the reasons I accepted Mindy's offer to join Fusion, was the professionalism that you all show when you are in your combat suits. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to be heading on a mission with the famous Hit Girl, Kick-Ass, Shadow, and Jackal."
"I'm not famous."
"That's rubbish, and you know it, Chloe."
"She tries to keep a level mind," Mindy chuckled as she joined the pair to swap with Jennifer. "We like to keep her ego under control."
"I am not going to comment, best friend," Chloe responded.
..._...
After Point Charlie, the river began to meander as they covered the sixteen kilometre stretch of Leg 4 towards Point Delta.
As they made their way along the river, the eastern sky was steadily growing lighter and lighter as dawn approached. Once dawn removed the protective cover of darkness, they would be fully exposed and at risk of attack from any quarter. It would also get a lot hotter – possibly in more ways than one! In preparation for sunrise, the girls awoke the boys at quarter to five that morning. Jennifer had produced an edible breakfast in the galley and everybody was grateful for the food which was available in quantity, if not quality.
"Jen, you and Mindy must have learnt to cook at the same place," Joshua chuckled.
Mindy growled, but Jen grinned.
"I can cut your fucking testicles off and fry them up for you, Joshua," she responded darkly.
Joshua looked over at Chloe.
"You dug your own hole, Joshy," she laughed.
"Looks like Joshy just crammed his size nines into his giant gob again," Dave commented.
"A nasty habit of mine," Joshua admitted.
Tuesday, May 2nd
05:26 GMT+7 (22:26 GMT May 1st)
Aboard the LCM-8
11° 21.69'N, 103° 15.19'E
Prek Khlang Yai – Point Delta
Sunrise!
The view was amazing. As the sun rose above the forests and the hills, the view the daylight revealed was full of vibrant colours. The water varied in colour from blue to muddy brown depending on the depth. The mangrove forests were many shades of green spreading into the distance. Despite the early hour, a myriad of craft was already operating on the busy waterway. Some were nothing more than canoes while others were larger, motor-propelled, vessels approaching and exceeding the size of their landing craft. Nobody paid them much attention as the decades-old landing craft, streaked with rust, chugged along the waterway, heading in a southerly direction down a tributary which led off to the right from the main river which turned almost a hundred-and-eighty degrees to the north.
The tributary was called the Prek Tachan and was a lot smaller than the Prek Khlang Yai, being barely half the width of the larger river.
06:15 GMT+7 (23:15 GMT May 1st)
Aboard the LCM-8
11° 20.27'N, 103° 16.13'E
Prek Tachan – Point Foxtrot
The next two legs had been short – less than five kilometres combined.
While the girls kept watch, Dave and Joshua moored the LCM-8 in a small offshoot of the river where there was thick vegetation and where they could easily hide the seventy-four-foot craft from the sky as well as from the river. The plan was to lay up until 18:30 that evening when it would be after sunset and it would be safe to return to the river for their final waterborne leg. Mindy and Jennifer ensured that the awnings were fully spread and that each of them downed a good amount of water before they laid down, leaving Dave to take the first watch. They would be there for the next twelve hours, enduring the incredibly oppressive heat and humidity until it was time to leave.
They each sat under the awning, stripped down to ward off the heat and the humidity. Joshua and Dave were topless while the girls were down to their sports bras. All would have liked to have stripped down further, but they did not want to be caught, quite literally, with their pants down. While Dave casually paced around the well-deck with the occasional trip aft to the wheelhouse, the rest talked. Mindy, being Mindy, sat sharpening her already very sharp combat knife. Chloe cleaned her weapons – none of which had been fired. Jennifer ensured that everyone had an adequate covering of insect repellent to prevent them from being, quite literally, eaten alive. They had draped mosquito netting around the area where they sat as a deterrent which was infuriating as it cut down on any breeze – of which there was not much, to be brutally honest.
The final waterborne leg to Point Golf was less than ten kilometres and would take only about two hours to complete. Then, they would disembark and head off into the jungle – no one was looking forward to that little nature walk. To while away the time, Joshua decided it was time to open his book of crude jokes.
"Okay. A guy is on the way to a bar to get a drink with his mates when he notices a girl lying beside the train tracks, all tied up. He runs to her, unties her, and they have sex. When he finally gets to the bar his friends ask him why he's late, so he brags about what happened and also how he got laid. They were all very impressed and proud of him. One of them asked, 'Did you get any head?' The guy shook his head and replied, 'Nah, I couldn't find it.'"
Chloe scowled as Mindy chuckled before laughing. Jennifer and Dave both laughed raucously at the crude joke.
"That is so disgusting," Chloe pointed out.
"But very funny," Jennifer commented.
"I got it from Abigail," Joshua admitted. "Want another one?"
"I'm probably going to regret it, but okay," Chloe replied.
Joshua grinned as he looked directly into his girlfriend's green eyes.
"What do you call a woman who thinks she can do anything a man can do?"
"Mindy?" Chloe quipped.
"Wrong!" Joshua grinned.
Mindy laughed as she watched Chloe slapping her boyfriend. The pair loved each other, and they were a perfect match. Jennifer scowled at the joke, but then she grinned at Joshua.
"Why is psychoanalysis a lot quicker for a man than for a woman?" she asked.
Joshua simply shook his head in response.
"When it's time to go back to his childhood, he's already there."
Mindy and Chloe laughed uproariously at that as Dave and Joshua simply ignored them completely. When the girls had calmed down, Chloe had a joke of her own.
"Why are men like laxatives?"
Mindy shrugged.
"They irritate the shit out of you."
More laughter ensued, and Joshua went to join Dave aft.
12:15 GMT+7 (05:15 GMT May 2nd)
Aboard the LCM-8
11° 20.27'N, 103° 16.13'E
Prek Tachan – Point Foxtrot
Six hours had passed at the speed of a glacier moving down a mountain.
To be honest, Joshua wished he was on a glacier right at that very moment – or anywhere where there was limited humidity and the temperature was classified as 'cool' or better. The sweat was constant on his torso and he hated it. He had been drinking almost constantly to ensure that he wasn't losing too much liquid. The 'water' he was drinking was laced with salt and other exciting nutrients to combat the dehydration effects of the heat. Periodically, he would take a piss over the side – much to Chloe's annoyance. The girls chose to use the real plumbing, although that was a major chore as it was hotter than hell inside the wheelhouse structure. Mindy had never pissed so quickly as she did when in the head. It was so damn hot that she was scared she might pass out while pissing.
Jennifer had checked everybody out to ensure that everybody was in perfect health and she had ensured that everybody was properly equipped for the walk in the jungle that night. After lunch – from British ration packs – the team settled down to check their kit and their weapons. They would only take what was necessary to survive the hike and then to fight at the other end. Jennifer carried extra medical supplies to treat any injuries to the team as well as for treating Commander Lawrence once they found him and rescued him. The morning of joking had been their break from the mission – next came the preparation and focussing of the mind for what was to come. Mindy checked and double-checked everybody's weapons before allowing Dave and Chloe to check out her own kit and weapons. They were a team, and they helped each other every step of the way. Age, sex, experience; none of it mattered. Once the kit was secure, stowed and ready, Mindy and Chloe started some stretching exercises as they brought their bodies to the highest level of agility.
Jennifer joined in, as did Dave while Joshua was on watch.
18:30 GMT+7 (11:30 GMT May 2nd)
Aboard the LCM-8
11° 20.27'N, 103° 16.13'E
Prek Tachan – Point Foxtrot
The sun had set, just nineteen minutes earlier.
All were fully dressed and ready for anything as Dave started the twin diesel engines and Joshua guided him out of the mud where the vessel had sat for over twelve hours. With a shudder and a bump, the bow of the landing craft left the muddy bank and they backed out into the main river. River traffic had waned as the evening had arrived and they had the river to themselves in the main. As they headed deeper into Cambodia, the river narrowed as it twisted and turned. The mangrove forest grew right up to the water leaving very few places available to go ashore, however, it also prevented others from attacking them, too. After the first hour, the river narrowed further with the trees almost meeting across the water.
The night-time air was cooler, but not by much, and the humidity remained as a constant reminder of where they were.
20:30 GMT+7 (13:30 GMT May 2nd)
Point Golf
11° 16.80'N, 103° 17.45'E
Dave spun the landing craft and pushed both throttles forwards to their stops.
The craft surged forwards and the bow struck the bank, the engines thrusting the vessel a good twelve feet onto the riverbank. The stern of the vessel was hidden by trees from the river just a few feet away. They were in a small cutting just off the river which was the final resting point for the LCM-8. Everyone moved with purpose. The engines were shut down, along with all the electrical systems. Dave burnt everything classified in a steel bucket on the well-deck. The scuttling charges were set, and a timer applied, along with a remote control.
By 21:00, the team was ashore and the LCM-8, which had served them so well, was abandoned.
..._...
Each was heavily laden with equipment packed into a pack on their backs.
Dave took the lead, a GPS unit in his hands. The first leg was a little over four hundred metres on a bearing of 233° and would take them well away from the river and the abandoned landing craft. The going was slow as Dave hacked his way through the mangroves with a machete. Joshua was at the back, checking their rear, and ensuring that they were safe from any pursuers. Periodically, he would shake out a powder behind their track. The powder would dissuade any dogs who tried to track them from the river.
It was important to put as much distance behind them as possible and to disassociate themselves from the landing craft.
21:20 GMT+7 (14:20 GMT May 2nd)
Location: 11° 16.66'N, 103° 17.27'E
Distance covered: 412 metres
Distance remaining: 17 kilometres
They stopped for a short twenty-minute break on the far edge of a clearing in the jungle.
It had taken almost half an hour to cover just over four hundred metres and they still had seventeen kilometres to go. As they left the clearing, they found the route climbing gently and that put extra strain on their legs and muscles. The route was planned with relatively straight legs to make things easier for navigation, although they could deviate if the route proved too difficult. Here and there, they found old pathways, mostly long overgrown and unused for many years, but they proved a lot easier to navigate than trying to forge their own passageway through some relatively impenetrable mangrove forest.
Though they did not talk much, they communicated using hand signals which used up less of their precious energy and stamina as well as maintaining their stealth.
23:45 GMT+7 (16:45 GMT May 2nd)
Location: 11° 15.92'N, 103° 15.23'E
Distance covered: 4.5 kilometres
Distance remaining: 13 kilometres
A little over two hours later, they stopped again for an all too brief twenty-minute rest.
It was hard going, despite their top-level fitness. The next leg headed up into the hills and they rose higher and higher. The gentle slopes added to the pain their muscles felt as they were forced onward and upward. Everybody kept their minds focussed as they monitored their designated sector, their chosen weapon following their eyes. They did not expect to meet anybody, but that was not an excuse to take unnecessary risks. More than once they had each wondered what the hell they were doing in such a hellhole, but then they remembered that a man's life rested on the success of their mission in that hellhole. Part of Mindy's mind was still racing as she tried to figure out what Lawrence was doing in Cambodia and why she had to be involved. She had a nasty idea that their time in Cambodia was just the opening part of a major saga with many parts. Her 'purple sense' as Dave called it was telling her to stay away from the camp and to have nothing to do with whatever was developing.
But Mindy could not do that to a friend who needed her help.
Wednesday, May 3rd
03:20 GMT+7 (20:20 GMT May 2nd)
Location: 11° 16.18'N, 103° 13.30'E
Distance covered: 8.5 kilometres
Distance remaining: 9 kilometres
They were at the approximate half-way point.
It had taken them a little over three hours to reach their first high point, which was 196 metres above sea level. There should have been a pleasant view, but all they could really see was trees, trees, some more trees . . . and some trees. They could also see trees. They stopped for a full forty minutes while Dave brewed up some hot water and they each drank down some tea and chomped on some energy bars. They lay down on the ground using plastic sheeting and catnapped until it was regrettably time to get back onto their aching feet.
Their route had taken them around the base of one hill and then around the base of another, passing over their flanks as they went. The route descended pleasantly as they moved steadily through the dark mangrove forest. Part of the route was dry underfoot – ish – while some involved wading through water which varied from ankle deep to crotch deep. Mindy had no desire to have her blood sucked by something as creepy as a leech – ewww! To clarify, Mindy had no desire to have her blood sucked – period. Only Dave got to suck parts of her, and that was that.
Mindy was appalled with herself for thinking about sex while in the damn jungle – admittedly, she had not so much as touched herself in days; she had been far too focused on the mission ahead. Maybe it was because her crotch was soaked in putrid jungle swamp water – normally, a damp crotch meant one of two things: either she was aroused . . . or she had just peed herself. Mindy had heard Chloe sighing with relief during a wade through an especially deep part and she was certain that Chloe had peed herself. Jennifer appeared to be enjoying herself as she chatted with Chloe; they appeared to be firm friends.
As for the boys, they were just annoyed to find that they had not yet run the girls into the ground.
05:50 GMT+7 (22:50 GMT May 2nd)
Location: 11° 17.68'N, 103° 12.32'E
Distance covered: 12.5 kilometres
Distance remaining: 5 kilometres
The sun was just rising.
They knew that the heat would be rising very soon, and it would quickly become unbearable under the trees. After another break lasting an hour, they moved off for the longest climb of the route. Each of them was exhausted and their clothing was soaked in sweat, swamp water, and a host of other relatively undesirable liquids. They were muddy. They were in pain. But they soldiered on, each one determined not to be the one to let the others down. Not to mention that they were almost there, with the finish line an easy five kilometres away. Although, 'easy' was very relative. Dave had the longest legs, with Jennifer next, then Joshua, Mindy, and lastly, Chloe. While Joshua would rib Chloe about her height, and Dave would do the same with Mindy, the two girls saw themselves as compact and functional. Neither Chloe nor Mindy would ever admit to being sore; they would never admit to being less capable than the boys, even if they were, through no fault of their own biological evolution.
Dave and Joshua kept a firm eye on the three females. Mindy hated being 'protected' and Chloe generally preferred to look after herself. However, the boys were programmed by thousands of years of evolution to protect their women. Neither Mindy and Chloe would consider themselves as ever 'belonging' to anybody, but despite them being the famous Hit Girl and Shadow, they were like the contents of a pot of Play-Doh when they were with their men. Oh, yes, Chloe and Mindy 'owned' their men, but they also loved it when their men got all protective over them – it was a major turn on to both girls. As for Jennifer, she had no problems with being protected. She knew that she was the novice when it came to being a vigilante. Indeed, she had only taken two lives in her entire life, and that had been in direct defence of a colleague during a tour in Afghanistan.
She had never actually hiked so far in her entire life, but she was very fit, and generally very active.
09:00 GMT+7 (02:00 GMT May 3rd)
Location: 11° 17.49'N, 103° 11.09'E
Distance covered: 14.8 kilometres
Distance remaining: 2.7 kilometres
They did not have much further to go, but from where they sat, there was a great vantage point.
A little over two kilometres away, and two hundred metres below them, lay their destination. From their vantage point, they could see directly into the camp via a set of long-distance observation binoculars which Dave had lugged along with him. Joshua and Mindy had fortified their position as they would be remaining there for the next twelve hours. Their job was reconnaissance. They were to monitor everything they saw and use that information to modify their assault that night. According to their classified briefing back on HMS ALBION, the camp dated back to the days of the infamous Vietnam war of the 1960s and 1970s. Nearly every building in view was built from bamboo with thatched roofs. There was little need for anything more substantial, although a limited number of concrete-block buildings were in evidence. On the horizon, to the right, they could see Kaoh Kong Island, about sixteen or seventeen kilometres off. To the left was the Gulf of Thailand and somewhere within that body of water, HMS ALBION floated.
The camp was large – covering about thirty acres or so. It was well-located as a defensive location and the main gate, to the north was heavily guarded. The camp was almost invisible from the river beyond due to the forest surrounding it. The bamboo huts were distributed in a loose pattern, a winding road leading to each and ending at a large parade ground located at the south end of the camp which also appeared to double as a helicopter landing zone. Alongside the parade ground were four larger huts which could easily hold over fifty men each – that would be the barracks for the garrison, Dave knew. There were three tall guard towers, each fitted with a heavy machine gun and a grenade launcher. One of the concrete-block buildings appeared to house generators – large ones.
"Aren't those generators a little large for a place like this?" Jennifer asked.
"Maybe they have AC?" Joshua suggested hopefully.
"I doubt it," Mindy chuckled.
"Any sign of our man?" Chloe asked.
"The prison cages are located near to the east side of the compound. We can't see them from here," Dave replied. "Mindy and Chloe will go in for a closer reconnaissance to find out his exact location."
They had identified three helicopters circling the area, none of which actually landed at the camp. All appeared to be of military specification. Thankfully, there was plenty of tree cover to protect them from being observed. The helicopter presence was interesting and indicated that there was something worth protecting at the camp.
"I think it's time for a nap," Dave suggested.
With that, Dave lay back and he pulled his hat down over his eyes and he was promptly asleep.
The rest of them laid down to rest with all but Joshua falling asleep.
12:10 GMT+7 (05:10 GMT May 3rd)
Mindy and Chloe stripped off the majority of their gear, only taking the absolute essentials.
Joshua and Dave applied camouflage paint to the girl's faces, necks, and exposed lower arms and hands. Anything shiny on their webbing was covered with black duct tape. Nothing was missed. If the girls were spotted, then the mission would be all but over, and they would all most certainly die. Finally, Dave looked deeply into his wife's eyes.
"You ready for this, Mindy?"
"Yes, Dave – I can do this."
"I know. Use every Hit Girl skill you possess to keep you and Chloe safe."
Mindy hugged Dave tightly, knowing that he loved both her and Chloe. Joshua was busy with Chloe who was being a little bit more difficult.
"I am fine, Josh!"
"I want you to be safe, Chloe."
"I know," Chloe relented.
"Look after Mindy and use your Shadow skills to protect you both, okay?"
"I promise."
Jennifer kept to one side as the two couples hugged. Once they separated, she spoke to them both.
"Stay safe and stay on comms. Don't engage unless you absolutely have to. Don't get eaten by anything."
"You got it, Jen," Mindy replied.
"We'll be good girls," Chloe added, and Joshua rolled his eyes.
Jennifer's expression had brooked no argument from either girl and they both picked up their suppressed SIG Sauer MPX-SD submachine guns. Without another word, the girls turned and headed into the trees. Dave was apprehensive as he watched Mindy and Chloe vanish.
Beside him, Joshua felt exactly the same.